Panthers bounce back, crush Tigers 86-61 for first win of 2025

By Thomas Becker

Fuelled by a balanced attack and suffocating defence, the Panthers snapped their early 2025 skid in emphatic fashion, defeating the Dalhousie Tigers 86-61.

The Panthers (7-5) opened the new year with back-to-back losses to the Saint Mary's Huskies, but Saturday night was a return to form, as five players reached double figures. 

"It was a really big win for us," said Lauren Rainford. "We didn't play as well as we should have last weekend, so we knew we needed to lock in and take care of business."

Rainford led the charge, stuffing the stat sheet with 16 points, six assists, three rebounds, and two blocks. Devon Lawlor contributed 13 points, including a pair of big second-half threes, while Samantha Zoffranieri provided a spark off the bench, matching Lawlor's 13 points with three made triples. Grace Lancaster chipped in 11 points, four rebounds, and three assists, and Abby Miller added 10 points and eight rebounds to dominate the paint.

"It was a total team effort. Everyone who stepped on the court was locked in and ready to go," Rainford said. "We were looking for each other, it wasn't just one person trying to get their own. The ball movement was fantastic—when someone was open, we found them and made it count."

For the Tigers (2-10), Kaitlyn Ferrier was the lone bright spot, scoring a game-high 21 points. However, UPEI's defence held the rest of Dalhousie's offence in check, limiting the Tigers to 31.7 per cent shooting from the field and just 61 points overall.

The game began as a back-and-forth battle, but UPEI found their rhythm midway through the first quarter. Back-to-back three-pointers from Zoffranieri and Rainford gave the Panthers a 17-8 lead, and a tough and-one drive by Lancaster extended it to 20-8. Ferrier did her best to keep Dalhousie in the game, scoring 13 points in the opening frame, but Rainford countered with 11 of her own to give UPEI a 30-20 edge heading into the second. 

Both offences slowed down to begin the second quarter. The Tigers managed to chip away at the deficit, going on a 9-5 run capped by an Eva Widmeyer three-pointer that trimmed UPEI's lead to 37-31. However, after a well-timed timeout, Karla Benitez drained two consecutive threes to reignite the Panthers' offence. Lawlor followed with five straight points to push the lead to 50-36, and UPEI carried a comfortable 50-38 advantage into halftime.

The third quarter saw a slow start for both teams, but Zoffranieri's three-pointer midway through helped steady the Panthers. Lawlor hit back-to-back threes late in the quarter, and another triple from Benitez extended the lead to 67-54. UPEI finished the third ahead 71-57.

The Panthers' defence took over in the fourth, holding Dalhousie to just four points in the frame. A layup by Sydney Lawlor at the 2:56 mark extended the lead to 20, all but sealing the 86-61 win.

The Panthers head to Wolfville, NS, next weekend for a crucial two-game showdown against the Acadia Axewomen, with the second playoff bye hanging in the balance.

Photo Credit: Janessa Vanden Broek